A series of car bombs went off, one next to an American patrol, killing a total of 20 people in the amount of 17 attacks. 2 American soldiers were killed, along with 8 Iraqi police officers. This attack demonstrated how unstable things still are, and how the Iraqi government is still struggling to deal with the mayhem aimed at security forces as the United States forces are scheduled to pull out by the end of the year.
At least 80 people were wounded in the attacks, including three more American soldiers. The bombings occured in both Shite and Sunni neighborhoods, but it is unknown whether they were coordinated. Insurgents have often attacked both of the groups simultaneously, most likely in an attempt to further destabilize the country and cause violence between the groups.
The level of violence certaintly may be down since 2007, but insurgents still have the motivation and the ability to mount serious attacks. Politically the country is still unstable. A few extremest groups have even made clear their plans to further destablize the country after U.S. troops leave, to demonstrate Iraqi government reliance.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Iceland Volcano
Iceland's four international airports closed down most of their flights due to the second day of the most active volcano in Iceland's history erupting again. The volcano sent ash flying up to around 12 miles into the atmosphere. Previously, a volcano eruption had grounded more than 100,000 flights. This is not expected to happen again, because of the wind and weight of the ash particals, causing them to drop faster.
Iceland's civil protection agency imposed a no fly zone in a 140 mile radius around the volcano. Authorities were slow to unground the flights, as it wasn't known if the ash could damage jet engines. This resulted in a heavy peacetime air travel diruption.
Iceland's civil protection agency imposed a no fly zone in a 140 mile radius around the volcano. Authorities were slow to unground the flights, as it wasn't known if the ash could damage jet engines. This resulted in a heavy peacetime air travel diruption.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Advertisements
Advertising: describe or draw attention to (a product, service, or event) in a public medium in order to promote sales or attendance.
Advertising is used to get the news out of a new product. But when does it cross the line from informative, to assaulting our lives with a bombardment of hellish voices telling us sprite is made of natural preservatives?
In 1952, while watching T.V., you could watch an entire half hour cartoon with 4 minutes of commercials total. Now if the same cartoon was aired, that half hour cartoon would be chopped into 4 parts spanning over an hour laced in between with commercials, along with probably being edited for time.
I just visited the new york times website, guess what they hit me with first thing? A commercial that covers the whole page. On youtube, every time that you watch a video, you need to watch a short ad then close out another pop up window. Sometimes you may end up with pop up windows that announce their presence with loud voices and music purposefully turned up in case you had anticipated the attack and kept your volume down.
For more relating to T.V. commercial growth time over the years go here, http://www.waynesthisandthat.com/commerciallength.htm
Check your mail. Not just your mailbox on the street, but the one online too. How many times have you gone into your e-mail and hit the spam button becuase a site throws everything they have at you? This is especially true for facebook, which pukes a message your way everytime someone does something even Slightly related to you, and with somewhere around 100 friends that can be extremely annoying.
So I think we have the point across. Ads are everywhere. Internet, T.V., Mail, billboards, etc. Some ads are even using your personal information to aim a specific advertisement towards you. I refer to this as 'tailoring'. They showed this in the game Mass Effect 2, where on the Citadel Station you could see tubular ad pillars that specifically used the main characters personal information to advertise to him, it's also obvious that they do it as they have a basic ad template thats kind of like mad libs.
It goes something like this; Greetings (Insert name here). Records show you made (Insert income here) last year. Come by Interstellar Banking today and get the money you deserve.
I could see advertising looking exactly like that in the future. So has advertising crossed the border yet? Probably. It may not be obvious but because credit information, and other information is already available to the general public, companies are using it against you. Demographics are an example of this. Surveys are used to determine what a population of a certain area is like. That information is used by companies to advertise.
Advertising has crossed the border on being intrusive.
Advertising is used to get the news out of a new product. But when does it cross the line from informative, to assaulting our lives with a bombardment of hellish voices telling us sprite is made of natural preservatives?
In 1952, while watching T.V., you could watch an entire half hour cartoon with 4 minutes of commercials total. Now if the same cartoon was aired, that half hour cartoon would be chopped into 4 parts spanning over an hour laced in between with commercials, along with probably being edited for time.
I just visited the new york times website, guess what they hit me with first thing? A commercial that covers the whole page. On youtube, every time that you watch a video, you need to watch a short ad then close out another pop up window. Sometimes you may end up with pop up windows that announce their presence with loud voices and music purposefully turned up in case you had anticipated the attack and kept your volume down.
For more relating to T.V. commercial growth time over the years go here, http://www.waynesthisandthat.com/commerciallength.htm
Check your mail. Not just your mailbox on the street, but the one online too. How many times have you gone into your e-mail and hit the spam button becuase a site throws everything they have at you? This is especially true for facebook, which pukes a message your way everytime someone does something even Slightly related to you, and with somewhere around 100 friends that can be extremely annoying.
So I think we have the point across. Ads are everywhere. Internet, T.V., Mail, billboards, etc. Some ads are even using your personal information to aim a specific advertisement towards you. I refer to this as 'tailoring'. They showed this in the game Mass Effect 2, where on the Citadel Station you could see tubular ad pillars that specifically used the main characters personal information to advertise to him, it's also obvious that they do it as they have a basic ad template thats kind of like mad libs.
It goes something like this; Greetings (Insert name here). Records show you made (Insert income here) last year. Come by Interstellar Banking today and get the money you deserve.
I could see advertising looking exactly like that in the future. So has advertising crossed the border yet? Probably. It may not be obvious but because credit information, and other information is already available to the general public, companies are using it against you. Demographics are an example of this. Surveys are used to determine what a population of a certain area is like. That information is used by companies to advertise.
Advertising has crossed the border on being intrusive.
Students Speak Up in Class, Silently, Using Social Media
Teachers from both primary and secondary schools are starting to use social media such as twitter to get their students engaged into conversation. Kids today seem to be much more closed in in a open environment, but more open in places like twitter or facebook.
The teachers that use this program, such as Nicholas Provenzano, an English teacher at Grosse Pointe South High School says that during his class there are maybe 12 people who are actively engaged in a class of 30. Using a backchannel, he gets around 8 more kids engaged during conversation. He noted that it was a significant change.
Because people tend to be more open on places like this, and because people have time to write and review their comments, they more effectively get their ideas out and better use their thought processes. As fellow classmates see their comments, they can understand the other person better and see them as more intelligent.
Our class also uses it, and it really is easier to talk virtually than it is to in reality. I think this is because people aren't afraid of talking over eachother, and we can get more out there in shorter time.
About 2% of a college's classes used backchannels in their class, while around 58% said that it would negatively impact their classes performance. I, and everyone who has used the method so far, disagree with this. I believe this is a more effective method of discussion that it is to openly speak in the classroom. More information can get out there, we can review it whenever we want after class, we get time to think about the next thing we say, and we get more engaged.
The teachers that use this program, such as Nicholas Provenzano, an English teacher at Grosse Pointe South High School says that during his class there are maybe 12 people who are actively engaged in a class of 30. Using a backchannel, he gets around 8 more kids engaged during conversation. He noted that it was a significant change.
Because people tend to be more open on places like this, and because people have time to write and review their comments, they more effectively get their ideas out and better use their thought processes. As fellow classmates see their comments, they can understand the other person better and see them as more intelligent.
Our class also uses it, and it really is easier to talk virtually than it is to in reality. I think this is because people aren't afraid of talking over eachother, and we can get more out there in shorter time.
About 2% of a college's classes used backchannels in their class, while around 58% said that it would negatively impact their classes performance. I, and everyone who has used the method so far, disagree with this. I believe this is a more effective method of discussion that it is to openly speak in the classroom. More information can get out there, we can review it whenever we want after class, we get time to think about the next thing we say, and we get more engaged.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Osama bin Laden
Osama is dead. Just to put it bluntly and get right to the point. Oh and I sliced open my finger this morning with some scissors trying to pry open a case for headphones. Blood was pouring out and I'm fine thanks for asking.
Obama called for a late night press meeting. He announced that Osama had been cornered by CIA and American soldiers and was shot in the head for resisting arrest. I had heard they had taken samples from him to confirm his identity but I'm not certain on that. So I'd just like to bring up one thing, who feels like they should have beat him to death and mutiliated his corpse? What about just murder him? Now who thinks that his whole organization should be exterminated? Well things like that are things that could lead up to the creation of terrorist organizations. Osama was fighting America, terrorizing it, but why? He saw us as the Arabs saw the Crusaders, he even styled himself the new Saladin. So why prove him right? Such extreme acts lead to extreme reactions. In the process of destroying one group, we create another. We become the thing that Osama saw us as.
Just sayin guys, think before you act. And that's not reffering at all to the killing of Osama. Let's just not prove him right.
Obama called for a late night press meeting. He announced that Osama had been cornered by CIA and American soldiers and was shot in the head for resisting arrest. I had heard they had taken samples from him to confirm his identity but I'm not certain on that. So I'd just like to bring up one thing, who feels like they should have beat him to death and mutiliated his corpse? What about just murder him? Now who thinks that his whole organization should be exterminated? Well things like that are things that could lead up to the creation of terrorist organizations. Osama was fighting America, terrorizing it, but why? He saw us as the Arabs saw the Crusaders, he even styled himself the new Saladin. So why prove him right? Such extreme acts lead to extreme reactions. In the process of destroying one group, we create another. We become the thing that Osama saw us as.
Just sayin guys, think before you act. And that's not reffering at all to the killing of Osama. Let's just not prove him right.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Another Current Event - Revelations
Just so you know, this has near nothing to do with world news. The title revelations is related to two things. The awe inspiring, kick ass, and well put together Halo Machinima series: Red Vs Blue is starting a new season, Revelations.
The second thing is that I have come to realize that if you want to be good at something, one of the best, its best to get a good and early start. Me, I've decided that being in or creating an extreme metal band that sounds like my two favorite bands Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir is what I want to do. So what do I need to do?
First I should figure out what instrument I want to play. I think vocals are the most powerful and clear instrument in a bands arsenal, so I'll put that on my list.
*Learn how to sing, both normal and the retching black metal sound.
I've also been playing guitar for a while and I love playing it, listening to others play it, and I want to be throwing out riffs on stage. Another thing to add.
*Keep practicing the guitar!
Now these things take time, as cool as it would be you won't become an Yngwie Malmsteen over night. Practice is essential. You may think as I used to that people just keep ranting about practicing over and over when you sound just fine with how much you practice right now, so you ignore those people. Here's the thing, we want to become one of the best. We want to go down in history as that person who made his crowds feel like they were having an orgasm due to the sheer epicness of our solos.
But why is practice good? For guitar players, it keeps our fingers loose, and so many more things that it would take too long to put down. Especially if you're just starting to play guitar, practice is the best thing you can do. If I had been practicing every day for my first year of guitar playing, right now I could be playing the solos to all my favorite songs off the top of my head. Right now, I've been taking maybe a month and a half to learn the song Honey and Sulpher. I'm at the few ending riffs and I probably won't get the solo down.
Motivation a problem? It is for me. Do something that involves whatever instrument you're playing, but don't actually play it yourself. Go see a concert of your favorite band. In two days on April 23rd, Cradle of Filth is playing in Bangalore, India on the Palace Grounds. India if far from the U.S., so not a big chance of me getting there. I could also read about on of Cradle of Filth's guitar players, and learn more about him, how he became a guitar player, bands he's been in etc.
Play for some people. Show them what awesome riffs, or vocals, or chords on a violin you can crank out. Getting used to performing in front of an audience is a big thing, especially for vocalists as they're probably the most listened to instrument.
So, stay motivated, practice, play for some people, go see a concert, read up on a musician, just stay with music! Listen to it, love it, play it.
Practice really will make you loads better. As soon as I get home I'm going to practice all day. Getting an instructor is really useful too. Have fun out there guys and girls, guitar and banjo players, flutes and violinists, pianists and drummers. See you in the musical hall of fame.
The second thing is that I have come to realize that if you want to be good at something, one of the best, its best to get a good and early start. Me, I've decided that being in or creating an extreme metal band that sounds like my two favorite bands Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir is what I want to do. So what do I need to do?
First I should figure out what instrument I want to play. I think vocals are the most powerful and clear instrument in a bands arsenal, so I'll put that on my list.
*Learn how to sing, both normal and the retching black metal sound.
I've also been playing guitar for a while and I love playing it, listening to others play it, and I want to be throwing out riffs on stage. Another thing to add.
*Keep practicing the guitar!
Now these things take time, as cool as it would be you won't become an Yngwie Malmsteen over night. Practice is essential. You may think as I used to that people just keep ranting about practicing over and over when you sound just fine with how much you practice right now, so you ignore those people. Here's the thing, we want to become one of the best. We want to go down in history as that person who made his crowds feel like they were having an orgasm due to the sheer epicness of our solos.
But why is practice good? For guitar players, it keeps our fingers loose, and so many more things that it would take too long to put down. Especially if you're just starting to play guitar, practice is the best thing you can do. If I had been practicing every day for my first year of guitar playing, right now I could be playing the solos to all my favorite songs off the top of my head. Right now, I've been taking maybe a month and a half to learn the song Honey and Sulpher. I'm at the few ending riffs and I probably won't get the solo down.
Motivation a problem? It is for me. Do something that involves whatever instrument you're playing, but don't actually play it yourself. Go see a concert of your favorite band. In two days on April 23rd, Cradle of Filth is playing in Bangalore, India on the Palace Grounds. India if far from the U.S., so not a big chance of me getting there. I could also read about on of Cradle of Filth's guitar players, and learn more about him, how he became a guitar player, bands he's been in etc.
Play for some people. Show them what awesome riffs, or vocals, or chords on a violin you can crank out. Getting used to performing in front of an audience is a big thing, especially for vocalists as they're probably the most listened to instrument.
So, stay motivated, practice, play for some people, go see a concert, read up on a musician, just stay with music! Listen to it, love it, play it.
Practice really will make you loads better. As soon as I get home I'm going to practice all day. Getting an instructor is really useful too. Have fun out there guys and girls, guitar and banjo players, flutes and violinists, pianists and drummers. See you in the musical hall of fame.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
World War II Studies
Our class is just starting to study in depth World War 2. We started by putting together lists that show what we want to know and what we already know about the war. Personally I would be very interested to know how each of the world leaders rose to power, and how they were being presented by the media.
For example, our president Teddy Rosevelt was in a wheelchair suffering from a bone related disease in his legs so was often filmed sitting behind his desk, the wheelchair hidden. Hitler was portrayed by many if not all Allied powers media, and possibly due to the course of the war he will be known as the villain forever. He was also portrayed by his own media as a savior of the people, a messiah. I need to find out who the real Hitler was, not the mass murdering cynacil villain that many know him as. Would his reputation be different if he had won the war? Of course it would. But how?
For example, our president Teddy Rosevelt was in a wheelchair suffering from a bone related disease in his legs so was often filmed sitting behind his desk, the wheelchair hidden. Hitler was portrayed by many if not all Allied powers media, and possibly due to the course of the war he will be known as the villain forever. He was also portrayed by his own media as a savior of the people, a messiah. I need to find out who the real Hitler was, not the mass murdering cynacil villain that many know him as. Would his reputation be different if he had won the war? Of course it would. But how?
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